Reconnaissance of Vessel Navigation Requirements Updated Report
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GRAVINA ACCESS PROJECT Reconnaissance of Vessel Navigation Requirements Updated Report Agreement 36893013 DOT&PF Project 67698 Federal Project ACHP-0922(5) Prepared for STATE OF ALASKA Department of Transportation and Public Facilities 6860 Glacier Highway Juneau, Alaska 99801 Prepared by THE GLOSTEN ASSOCIATES, INC. 600 Mutual Life Building 605 First Avenue Seattle, WA 98104-2224 Under contract to HDR ALASKA, INC. 712 West 12th Street Juneau, AK 99801 Original Report October 1999 MAY 2003 Reconnaissance of Vessel Navigation Requirements Report Contents 1— INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Brief Description of Tongass Narrows........................................................................................1-1 1.2 Brief Description of Project........................................................................................................1-2 2— MARINE TRAFFIC VOLUMES......................................................................................................2-1 2.1 Waterborne Commerce Traffic Volumes and Trends ..................................................................2-1 2.2 Cruise Ship Traffic.....................................................................................................................2-5 2.3 Small Cruise Operators ............................................................................................................2-20 2.4 Alaska Marine Highway System ..............................................................................................2-20 2.4.1 Current Operations ..........................................................................................................2-21 2.4.2 Effect of Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan................................................................2-23 2.4.3 Inter-Island Ferry Authority (IFA) ...................................................................................2-24 2.5 Barges......................................................................................................................................2-25 2.6 Tankers....................................................................................................................................2-26 2.7 U.S. Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................2-26 2.8 U.S. Navy ................................................................................................................................2-27 2.9 Commercial Fishing Boats, Charter Vessels, and Small Craft ...................................................2-28 2.9.1 Kayaks ............................................................................................................................2-30 2.9.2 Personal Watercraft .........................................................................................................2-30 2.10 Gravina Island Ferry ................................................................................................................2-31 2.11 Floatplanes...............................................................................................................................2-31 3— WEST COAST BRIDGES AND AERIAL CABLE CROSSINGS..................................................3-1 3.1 Horizontal Navigation Clearances at Coos Bay, OR ...................................................................3-3 4— CRUISE SHIP TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS......................................................................................4-1 4.1 Projected Cruise Passengers and Port Calls ................................................................................4-1 4.2 Projected Cruise Ship Traffic Density ........................................................................................4-4 4.3 Potential Limiting Factors..........................................................................................................4-5 4.3.1 Large-Vessel Traffic Congestion in Tongass Narrows........................................................4-6 5— NAVIGATION ISSUES.....................................................................................................................5-1 5.1 Navigation Restrictions During Construction .............................................................................5-1 5.2 Bridge Structure Effect on Wind ................................................................................................5-1 5.3 Bridge Structure Effect on Current .............................................................................................5-1 5.4 Reflection of Bow Waves by Bridge Piers..................................................................................5-1 5.5 Radar Shadow of Bridges ...........................................................................................................5-1 5.6 Ship Pilot Preferences for Bridge Alignment ..............................................................................5-1 5.7 Horizontal Clearance Between Bridge Piers ...............................................................................5-2 5.7.1 AASHTO Guidelines Regarding Horizontal Clearance ......................................................5-2 5.7.2 PIANC Guidelines Regarding Horizontal Clearance ..........................................................5-2 6— POTENTIAL NAVIGATION IMPACTS OF BRIDGES ................................................................6-1 6.1 Consideration of a 200-foot High Bridge in the Vicinity of Ketchikan Airport and of a 200-foot High Bridge over East Channel......................................................................................6-1 6.2 Effect on Sailing Distances ........................................................................................................6-2 6.2.1 Blocking Large Vessels North of the Cruise Ship Docks ....................................................6-2 6.2.2 Blocking Large Vessels South of the Cruise Ship Docks ....................................................6-3 i Reconnaissance of Vessel Navigation Requirements Report 6.2.3 Blocking East Channel to Large Vessels ............................................................................6-4 6.3 Consequences of Blocking Large-Vessel Traffic in Tongass Narrows.........................................6-4 6.3.1 Consequences of Blocking Tongass Narrows Near Charcoal Point .....................................6-6 Large Shipping Uses Both East and West Channels........................................................... 6-6 Large Shipping Arrives and Departs Via East Channel Only ............................................. 6-7 6.3.2 Consequences of Blocking of East Channel........................................................................6-8 6.4 Running Time and Other Impacts on Cruise Ships....................................................................6-10 6.5 Other Effects of a 60-foot High Bridge over East Channel and a 200-foot High Bridge over West Channel..............................................................................................................................................6-18 7— CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................7-1 8— REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................8-1 List of Figures Figure Page Figure 1 Tongass Narrows from Saxman to Peninsula Point ......................................................................1-1 Figure 2 Waterborne Commerce in Tongass Narrows................................................................................2-2 Figure 3 Total Trips per Year in Tongass Narrows (Including Ketchikan) .................................................2-4 Figure 4 Total Cruise Ship Passengers Calling at Ketchikan by Year....................................................... 2-14 Figure 5 Number of Cruise Ship in Trade by Year................................................................................... 2-15 Figure 6 Number of Cruise Ship Stops at Ketchikan by Year................................................................... 2-16 Figure 7 Large Cruise Ship Navigation Draft Trends............................................................................... 2-17 Figure 8 Large Cruise Ship Maximum Beam Trends ............................................................................... 2-18 Figure 9 Large Cruise Ship Length Overall Trends.................................................................................. 2-18 Figure 10 Large Cruise Ship Gross Register Tonnage Trends .................................................................... 2-19 Figure 11 Large Cruise Ship Air Draft Trends........................................................................................... 2-19 Figure 12 AMHS Port Calls at Ketchikan.................................................................................................. 2-22 Figure 13 General Setting at Coos Bay, Oregon ..........................................................................................3-4 Figure 14 Ship Channels at Coos Bay, Oregon............................................................................................3-5 Figure 15 Close-up of Deep Draft Ship Channel at Coos Bay Bridges .........................................................3-6